Requires sensitivity
The ground attack in North Waziristan is the most vital part of the operation. The airstrikes have punished the terrorists, destroyed their hideouts and taken toll of their IED making factories. Now it is for the ground forces to smoke out the terrorists, take out some, nab others and establish the writ of the state in the agency. The army has prior experience of the Swat and South Waziristan operations. Among the major failures of the two operations was that the escape of top TTP leadership could not be blocked. In the case of Swat Fazlullah managed to sneak into Afghanistan while Hakimullah Mehsud relocated himself to another fata agency. Subsequently both caused immense suffering to the people and the army.
We are told that the operation was initiated earlier than expected with the result that most of the militants had no time to escape. Further, that the army has surrounded the entire North Waziristan Agency and sealed the 180km border with Afghanistan as well as the boundary with South Waziristan, making it impossible for terrorists to escape. With the exception of those who have taken shelter across the border in Kunar and Nuristan, the entire militant leadership was presumably present in North Waziristan Agency when the airstrikes started. If the arrangements work successfully one expects that major militant leaders would either be apprehended or killed.
There are reports of families still stranded in NWA for one reason or another. It is hoped that while conducting the ground operation, the army would help in the safe evacuation of these people. According to the ISPR, Zarb-e-Azb is the war of Pakistan’s survival. What needs to be emphasised is that in the ultimate analysis victory in the war can only be achieved by winning over the people of NWA who have made a big sacrifice by leaving their hearths and homes. The ground offensive should therefore be conducted with the required sensitivity.